Marriage is the theme of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the
Eternal teaches us the importance and spiritual significance of marriage. In Eden, God taught mankind two doctrines:
the Sabbath and Marriage. These are
related, for the Sabbath is the avenue for our relationship with God, and human
Marriage is a God-like relationship with another human being, to help us build
our relationship with God.

At
the institution of marriage, there was no provision for divorce. However, mankind quickly departed from
God. Sin made the marriage relationship
more difficult, Genesis 3:16-19.
Cain departed from the presence of the Lord, Genesis 4:16,
married, had a son named Enoch, and built a city named after Enoch. Cain’s descendant Lamech was the first
recorded polygamist. The line of Cain continued to be divorced from God’s
presence.

Genesis 6 shows wrong
marriages, wrong sexual relationships, which led to God’s judgment of the
Flood. The word translated “violence”
is Strong’s #2555, chamas, the same word for Abraham and Sarah’s sin
involving Hagar, Genesis 16:5.
See also Malachi 2:16.
Marriage is not a contract, but a covenant, verse 14. As in the days of Noah, sexual sins will
abound just prior to our Lord’s return, Matthew 24:37-38.

God
did not condemn Lamech, Abraham, and Jacob, for their polygamy, but it was
wrong, contrary to Genesis 2:21-24.
God also did not condemn Abraham for lying about Sarah. Isaac, a type of Christ, had only one wife,
Rebecca. God teaches us by examples, I
Corinthians 10:1-12.

Marriage
is a covenant; without a force majeure provision for fraud. See the story of the Gibeonites, Joshua
9:1-27, noting verse 14. The
Israelites did not seek God’s counsel, and they went ahead and were duped, yet
they were still bound by their oath.
The example of Joseph and Mary (Matthew 1:18-25) shows how to
apply Deuter­onomy 24. General
“fraud” is no grounds for divorce with the right to remarry.

In
the New Testament, Jesus’ teaching made laws of marriage more binding, Matthew
5:32, 19:1-12. In speaking to the
carnal Pharisees, Jesus amazed his audience, not siding with the Hillel or
Shammai schools, who allowed divorce and remarriage for adultery or any reason
whatsoever. Jesus said that only for fornication
(sexual sins before marriage) can there be divorce with the right to remarry.

The
Apostle Paul did not water down the Savior’s teaching on marriage. Paul upheld the Bible teaching that marriage
is for life, Romans 7:1-3, I Corinthians 7:39. As believers, we look forward to the coming marriage of the
Church to Christ, Revelation 19:7-9, 21:2, 9, the eternal marriage from
which there will be no divorce. Our
marriages today should prepare us for
the divine eternal marriage to Christ, Ephesians 5:21-33.

In
1974, the Worldwide Church of God departed from its former teaching on
marriage. Marriages were thenceforth
held to be valid only as long as both parties are “pleased to dwell” with one
another. I Corinthians 7:12-15
does not provide an escape clause for marriages, which are bound for life, verse
39. “Not under bondage” means not
obligated to provide support, sexual relations, etc. It does not mean “free to remarry someone else.” Man-made marriage loopholes are so big that
you can drive a semi-truck through them!
The period of 1974-2004 has been thirty years of infamy in the Church of
God. Let us return to the Truth of God,
teaching and practicing the importance of life-long marriage relationships.

For
further explanation of this vital topic, request the free audio cassette, “The
Importance of Marriage,” C120, by Richard C. Nickels, from Giving &
Sharing.

Holy Days — 2004

Passover, April 5 (observed the evening before,
after sundown)

Feast of Unleavened Bread, April 6-12

Pentecost, May 31

Day of Trumpets, September 16

Day of Atonement, September 25

Feast of Tabernacles, September 30-October 6;
Last Great Day, October 7

Avoiding
Unclean Meat

It is not easy to avoid eating unclean meat. Pork is more prevalent than most people
realize. The popular Olive Garden
restaurant commonly has pork hidden in many of their menu items. Their website says: “Does Olive Garden use
pork in its recipes? Pork is primarily
used as a flavor enhancer and traditionally is a common ingredient in Italian
cooking. Pork is included in our meat sauce. With some advance notice, our
managers would be happy to accommodate your diet by specially making a ground
beef meat sauce to accompany your choice of pasta.”

Opportunity
to Help Others

We recently received a letter from a
vision-impaired prisoner in Texas. He
wanted to read material about Babylon, and how false gods originated. I printed out a copy of our Bible Study 185,
“All Roads Lead to Babylon,” in large 14-point type. That got me to thinking….

Is there a need to supply our literature to the
visually impaired? Please let us know
if you know someone who would like our literature in large print. Is there someone willing to help us by
printing our articles off the Internet in large type size, and mailing them to
those who are visually impaired? All
your expenses will be reimbursed.

“No woman should be authorized to stay at home to
raise her children. Society should be totally different. Women should not have
that choice, precisely because if there is such a choice, too many women will
make that one.”

That chilling commentary comes from fem-socialist
Simone de Beauvoir, in her famous 1974 interview in The Saturday Review.

So what happens when the radical feminist agenda
becomes the law of the land?

That is not a mere hypothetical question. It can
be answered by turning the pages of history back to the tragic early days of
Soviet Russia.

When Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized the levers of
power in 1917, Lenin faced the daunting challenge of jump-starting agricultural
and industrial production. So he cast his eye on a vast, untapped workforce:
peasant women.

Parroting the Marxist line on female oppression,
Lenin incited women to action at the First All-Russia Congress of Working
Women: “The status of women up to now has been compared to that of a slave;
women have been tied to the home, and only socialism can save them from this.”

In short order, Lenin pushed through laws
assuring women equal pay for equal work and the right to hold property.

But as Simone de Beauvoir pointed out, many women
would be tempted to go back to the old ways to tend to hearth and home. So the traditional family would need to be
abolished. Lenin understood that fact,
as well.

So in 1918, Lenin introduced a new marriage code
that outlawed church ceremonies. Lenin opened state-run nurseries, dining
halls, laundries, and sewing centers.
Abortion was legalized in 1920, and divorce simplified.

In a few short years, most of the functions of
the family had been expropriated by the state.
By 1921, Lenin could brag that “in Soviet Russia, no trace is left of
any inequality between men and women under the law.”

But Lenin’s dream of gender emancipation soon
dissolved into a cruel nightmare of social chaos.

First, the decline of marriage gave rise to
rampant sexual debauchery. Party
loyalists complained that comrades were spending too much time in love affairs,
so they could not fulfill their revolutionary duties.

Not surprisingly, women who were sent out to
labor in the fields and the factories stopped having babies. In 1917, the
average Russian woman had borne six children.
By 1991, that number had fallen to two.
This fertility free-fall is unprecedented in modern history.

But it was the children who were the greatest
victims. As a result of the break-up of
families, combined with civil war and famine, countless numbers of Russian
children found themselves without family or home. Many ended up as common thieves or prostitutes.

In his recent book, Perestroika, Mikhail
Gorbachev reflected on 70 years of Russian turmoil: “We have discovered that
many of our problems — in children’s and young people’s behavior, in our
morals, culture, and in production — are partially caused by the weakening of
family ties.”

Fem-socialists, hell-bent on achieving a
genderless society, are now scheming to repeat the same disastrous experiment
in Western society. Naturally, they are
hoping that you not hear the story of family destruction in Soviet Russia.

But the truth is there, waiting to be grasped by
anyone who cares to see.

The Seventh-day Adventist Reform
Movement is more conservative than mainline SDA’s. They cite the historical SDA position on the permanence of
marriage, including several statements from Ellen G. White.

“Till Death Do Us Part”

“And they twain shall be one
flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh,” Mark 10:8. “This [marriage] vow links the destinies of
the two individuals with bonds which nought but the hand of death should
sever,” Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 507.
Cited in The Family Circle, Lesson 9.

A Lifelong Tie

1. What is the only proper setting
for physical intimacy? Hebrews 13:4. How did Christ endorse the marriage
relation? John 2:1-11. “Only
where Christ reigns, can there be deep, true, unselfish love. Then soul will be
knit with soul, and the two lives will blend in harmony. Angels of God will be
guests in the home, and their holy vigils will hallow the marriage chamber.
Debasing sensuality will be banished. Upward to God will the thoughts be
directed; to Him will the heart’s devotion ascend,” Messages to Young People,
p. 440.

“Marriage has received Christ’s
blessing, and is to be regarded as a sacred institution. True religion is not
to counterwork the Lord’s plans. God ordained that man and woman should be
united in holy wedlock, to raise up families that, crowned with honor, would be
symbols of the family in heaven. And at the beginning of His public ministry
Christ gave His decided sanction to the institution that had been sanctioned in
Eden. Thus He declared to all that He will not refuse His presence on marriage
occasions, and that marriage, when joined with purity and holiness, truth and
righteousness, is one of the greatest blessings ever given to the human
family,” The Signs of the Times, August 30, 1899.

2. What must we always remember
regarding marriage? Mark 10:6-8. Why is this relationship so sacred? Ephesians
5:31, 32. “Marriage, a union for
life, is a symbol of the union between Christ and His Church. The spirit that
Christ manifests toward His Church is the spirit that the husband and wife are
to manifest toward each other. If they love God supremely, they will love each
other in the Lord, ever treating each other courteously, drawing in even cords.
In their mutual self-denial and self-sacrifice they will be a blessing to each
other,” The Adventist Home, p. 95.

The Nature of Vows

3. What must we understand about
the seriousness of making a vow before God? Matthew 5:37; Ecclesiastes 5:4,
5; Psalm 15:1-4. “The obligation to
which one’s word is pledged — if it does not bind him to perform a wrong act —
should be held sacred. No consideration of gain, of revenge, or of
self-interest can in any way affect the inviolability of an oath or pledge.
‘Lying lips are abomination to the Lord’ (Proverbs 12:22). He that
‘shall ascend into the hill of the Lord,’ and ‘stand in His holy place,’ is ‘he
that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not’ (Psalms 24:3, 15:4),” Patriarchs
and Prophets, p. 506.

4. What should keep us from
underestimating the depth of the promises and commitments we have made —
including our marriage vow “till death do us part”? Exodus 20:16; Malachi
2:13, 14. “If in any matter you
make a statement as to what you will do, and afterward find that you have
favored others to your own loss, do not vary a hairsbreadth from principle.
Carry out your agreement. By seeking to change your plans you would show that
you could not be depended on. And should you draw back in little transactions,
you would draw back in larger ones. Under such circumstances some are tempted
to deceive, saying, I was not understood. My words have been taken to mean more
than I intended. The fact is, they meant just what they said, but lost the good
impulse, and then wanted to draw back from their agreement, lest it prove a
loss to them,” Child Guidance, p. 154.

The Seventh Commandment

5. How are all warned against the violation
of the marriage bed? Exodus 20:14; Proverbs 6:32, 33. Why should
we be especially guarded on this point? Luke 16:17, 18; I Thessalonians 5:22. “The most solemn message ever committed to
mortals has been entrusted to this people, and they can have a powerful
influence if they will be sanctified by it. They profess to be standing upon
the elevated platform of eternal truth, keeping all of God’s commandments;
therefore, if they indulge in sin, if they commit fornication and adultery,
their crime is of tenfold greater magnitude than is that of the classes I have
named, who do not acknowledge the law of God as binding upon them,” Testimonies,
vol. 2, pp. 450, 451.

“All frivolity, all undue
attention of men and women, must be condemned and discontinued. Some, even
married men, who have indulged in this trifling familiarity, have endeavored to
excuse themselves, and escape censure by claiming that they have done no moral
wrong. . . . What record is made in the books of heaven by the divine Watcher?
Was there no moral wrong done to the souls of those with whom you were so
familiar? Indeed there was,” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 16, p.
6.

6. What does God require of His
Church in all cases where the seventh commandment has been violated? I
Corinthians 5:9-13. “The seventh
commandment has been violated by some who are now held in fellowship by the
church. This has brought God’s frown upon them. This sin is awful in these last
days, but the church [members] have brought God’s frown and curse upon them by
regarding the sin so lightly. I saw it was an enormous sin and there have not
been as vigilant efforts made as there should have been to satisfy the
displeasure of God and remove His frown by taking a strict, thorough course
with the offender.

“It has had an awful, corrupting
influence upon the young. They see how lightly the sin of breaking the seventh
commandment is regarded, and the one who commits this horrid sin thinks that
all he has to do is to confess that he was wrong and is sorry, and he is then
to have all the privileges of the house of God and be held in [the] embrace or
fellowship of the church.

“They have thought it was not so
great a sin, but have lightly esteemed the breaking of the seventh commandment.
This has been sufficient to remove the Ark of God from the camp, if there were
no other sins to cause the ark to be taken away and weaken Israel. Those who
break the seventh commandment should be suspended from the church, and not have
its fellowship nor the privileges of the house of God. Said the angel, ‘This is
not a sin of ignorance. It is a knowing sin and will receive the awful
visitation of God, whether he who commits it be old or young,” Testimonies
on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, pp. 248, 249.

A Pernicious Trend

7. How does God view divorce? Malachi
2:16. How did the erroneous view of marriage as a mere civil contract
trigger modern society’s indulgence in remarriage after divorce? “France presented . . . the characteristics
which especially distinguished Sodom. During the Revolution there was manifest
a state of moral debasement and corruption similar to that which brought
destruction upon the cities of the plain. And the historian presents together
the atheism and the licentiousness of France, as given in the prophecy: ‘Intimately
connected with these laws affecting religion, was that which reduced the union
of marriage — the most sacred engagement which human beings can form, and the
permanence of which leads most strongly to the consolidation of society — to
the state of a mere civil contract of a transitory character, which any two
persons might engage in and cast loose at pleasure. . . . If fiends had set
themselves to work to discover a mode of most effectually destroying whatever
is venerable, graceful, or permanent in domestic life, and of obtaining at the
same time an assurance that the mischief which it was their object to create
should be perpetuated from one generation to another, they could not have
invented a more effectual plan that the degradation of marriage’. . . . Sophie
Arnoult, an actress famous forw the witty things she said, described the
republican marriage as ‘the sacrament of adultery,” Great Controversy,
pp. 270, 271.

8. How does the current trend
toward divorce and remarriage reveal a sign of the times? Matthew 24:37-39.
Name one area in which our message is to reflect that of John the Baptist — and
why. Acts 3:19-21. “Herod was
affected as he listened to the powerful, pointed testimonies of John, and with
deep interest he inquired what he must do to become his disciple. John was
acquainted with the fact that he was about to marry his brother’s wife, while
her husband was yet living, and faithfully told Herod that this was not
lawful,” Early Writings, p. 154.
“What of the marriage relation today? Is it not perverted and defiled,
made even as it was in Noah’s day? Divorce after divorce is recorded in the
daily papers. This is the marriage of which Christ speaks when He says that
before the Flood they were ‘marrying and giving in marriage’.” Manuscript
Releases, vol. 7, p. 56. “As it was
in the days of Noah, every kind of evil is on the increase. Divorce and
marriage is the order of the time,” ibid., vol. 10, p. 261. “In the time of the end every divine
institution is to be restored,” Prophets and Kings, p. 678.

“One Flesh” For A Lifetime

9. How does inspiration emphasize
the enduring nature of the marital bond? Romans 7:1-3; I Corinthians 7:39. “Marriage, a union for life, is a symbol of
the union between Christ and His church,” Testimonies, vol. 7, p.
46. “My heart is sick when I see the
loose way that the marriage vows are held. We are nearing the judgment. I ask
you to consider carefully, candidly, your position. There is, perhaps, upon
more thorough acquaintance, a dislike of your husband’s ways and manners. Will
not many people find the same, after the marriage novelty has passed? But when
you made your vow before God and holy angels, you knew you were not perfect and
your husband was not perfect; but this is no excuse for breaking your marriage
vow. There is a need of training your mind and heart that you shall bear with
one another, to be kind to one another, and not to allow distrust and hatred to
come in,” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, p. 55.

10. If the “oneness” of the
marital bond is shattered, what counsel is given? I Corinthians 7:10,
11. Whichever of these two options is chosen, what must always be borne in
mind? Hebrews 12:14-16; Matthew 6:14, 15, 18:21, 22. “One of the most common sins, and one that
is attended with most pernicious results, is the indulgence of an unforgiving
spirit. How many will cherish animosity or revenge and then bow before God and
ask to be forgiven as they forgive. Surely they can have no true sense of the
import of this prayer or they would not dare to take it upon their lips. We are
dependent upon the pardoning mercy of God every day and every hour; how then
can we cherish bitterness and malice toward our fellow sinners! If, in all
their daily intercourse, Christians would carry out the principles of this
prayer, what a blessed change would be wrought in the church and in the world!
This would be the most convincing testimony that could be given to the reality
of Bible religion,” Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 170, 171.

Review And Thought Questions

1. What vow do we make before God
at our wedding ceremony? 2. How does
Scripture emphasize the sacredness of vows? 3. In what ways is the seventh
commandment often violated? 4. Why was
Herod’s marriage unlawful? 5. What is a
major key to marital happiness? For
Further Study Testimonies, vol. 7, pp. 45-50. In Heavenly Places,
p. 202.

Children’s Bible Activities

If you conduct a Sabbath School class at Church,
or just for your own children, you probably already know about Children’s Bible
Activities. If not, you are in for a
real treat. What are Children’s Bible
Activity sheets? They are puzzles,
mazes, dot-to-dots, word codes, and more, based on various Bible Stories for
children. Many of the activity sheets
are colorable. There are three versions
for each Bible Story: for younger children, older ones, and a teacher study
guide with answers.

There are two ways to obtain these excellent
resources:

(1) Children’s Bible Activities on CD has 300
easy to access, reproducible activity sheets, half for younger ages and half
for older ages. Order for $29.95 from www.comresources.com.

(2) For an annual fee, you can join Children’s
Bible Activities online at www.bibleactivities.com,
which has over 300 Bible stories and over
600 activity sheets for downloading. There is one for younger ages, one for
older ages, as well as a Story Guide and Outline for each Bible story. New
Bible stories are added every month to the Web site. Also, you can give access to teachers or volunteers in your
church to use the site with your account number so they can access it any time
from anywhere.

You are allowed to reproduce these activities for
all the children in your local church, but not for other churches in your
group.

Children’s Bible Activity Sheets are doctrinally
neutral, just telling Bible facts, so you will not have problems with false
doctrines.

Children’s Bible Activity Sheets are ready to
go. Your children, younger or older,
will enjoy these Bible-based activities that will add to their Sabbath delight.

I have given examples of the sheets for younger
and older children for the story of Noah’s Flood. Actual size of sheets is standard 8.5 x 11 inch. The Teacher sheet has the answers.

Christian
Education

This world’s educational system is based on the
philosophy of pagan Greeks such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. Socrates’ theory of education, was based on
a profound and consistent skepticism.
In other words, it is believed that “doubt is the way to
knowledge.” In reality, doubt is an
open door to ignorance. The serpent
convinced Adam and Eve to doubt the veracity of what God had told them about
not partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All human misery and suffering resulted from
doubting God. On the other hand, truth
and faith are essential to understanding knowledge, and truth is a revelation
from God.

Alonzo T. Jones (1850 – 1923), famous Seventh-day Advent­ist
leader and scholar who eventually became an independent Sabbath-keeper, wrote
an excellent treatise, “Christian Educa­tion.”
He describes how pagan educational philosophy infiltrat­ed the early
professing Christian Church and led to the great apostasy. Jones shows how the Bible should be the
foundation of true Christian education, how Daniel was educated, and what was
taught in the Old Testament “schools of the prophets.” Unfortunately, even many so-called
“Christian schools” have adopted the educational philosophy of skepticism, from
the pagan Greeks. Christian educators
and home school teachers and students should read “Christian Education” as a
guide for true educational principles.
See our website, www.giveshare.org/family/christian-education.html,
or for a printed copy, send $3 to Giving & Sharing for a 28-page reprint.

A Church of Non-Givers?

Some
kind folks told us about a Church of God group in India that needs financial
help. They need a male goat and several
female goats to begin a herd so they can be self-supporting. Former members of the Worldwide Church of
God are sometimes loath to contribute to charitable causes, because they feel
they were bilked by their former association, and their contributions often
squandered. As a result, it is
difficult to convince them that any cause is worth supporting.

Too
many ex-Worldwiders are not givers anymore — they all say the same thing: “How
do we know where it goes? — we have been burned before.” So, we have become a church of
“non-givers.” We will be judged on our
“giving and sharing,” and recipients will be judged on what they do with our
contributions. What is your attitude? “The measure you give is the measure you
receive” is what we live by, and God has never let us down. —
adapted from Karen and Tom Schluter, Duluth, MN.

It is not popular to support Tithing, but we care more about what the
Bible says, than what people think. You
should be tithing. For proofs, see our
free book, The Tithe in Scripture, Order Code 012, 60 pages, from
Giving & Sharing.

Why are so many people turned off about
tithing? Because of the “just send
money” pitches of religious hucksters.
Recently, a large Church of God group instructed its elders and hosts to
“IF AT ALL POSSIBLE — please mail the HDO [Holy Day Offerings] between
morning and afternoon services. . . .”
In the eyes of some, resting on the Sabbath and the Holy Days must be
superceded when headquarters wants money.

Mueller, the Apostle of Faith, trusted God to
provide funds for his orphanages. God
never let him down. A “work of faith”
does not need to beg its followers for contributions.

Are You a Follower of Herbert W. Armstrong?

We recently received a letter from someone who claims to be a follower of
Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986). I
replied that this didn’t tell me very much, because Armstrong taught opposing
views over his 55 years of ministry.
Here is a table showing some of the stark comparisons:

Earlier Teaching

Later Teaching

Hierarchical
Church Government is the Image of the Beast, should NOT be practiced.

Hierarchical
Church Government MUST be practiced, as it is “God’s Government.”

Pentecost
is on Monday.

Pentecost
is on Sunday.

Marriage
is for life.

Divorce
and remarriage allowed for almost any reason.

Peter
was not the chief Apostle; Petrine Doctrine is of the Devil.

Peter
was the Chief Apostle; Petrine Doctrine should be practiced today; HWA was
the Chief Apostle of our day.

Sabbath-keeping
includes not hiring workers to work for you on the Sabbath.

It
is all right to hire contract workers to labor on your premises on the
Sabbath.

World
political leaders are inspired by Satan.

Armstrong
gave expensive Steuben crystal gifts to dictators, lauded them as great
leaders.

Ministry
should be humble and live simply.

Ministry
lived in opulence; Armstrong’s luxurious living would make a President or
Corporate Executive blush.

Feast
of Unleavened Bread and Feast of Tabernacles observed in simple, natural
surroundings by all the brethren for eight days each festival; emphasis on
spiritual activities, Bible Study, fellowship of the brethren.

Feast
of Unleavened Bread observed only first and last holy days; Feast of
Tabernacles observed at expensive resorts, often in worldly atmosphere; emphasis
on physical.

Where exactly do you
fit in, following Herbert W. Armstrong?
I lean toward the earlier teachings, because they are more Biblically
sound. Please see our book, Early
Writings of Herbert W. Armstrong, $9 from Giving & Sharing, or on
the Internet at www.giveshare.org/library/hwa.

Sex Abuse Cases Reflect Theological Problems

I
read with concern and dismay a recent article stating that the Archdiocese of
Boston asked a judge to dismiss all sexual abuse lawsuits against it, claiming
that “the First Amendment . . . does not permit courts to tell churches how to
conduct their internal affairs.” My first reaction was to ask, what about the
First Amendment rights of the victims? Not only is this a weak legal argument,
which is unlikely to prevail; it is downright insulting to common sense and
moral decency to suggest that the Bill of Rights offers any organization, let
alone a religious organization, the right to harbor criminals. Nor does the
Bible offer such protection. Romans 13 teaches that civil authority is
ordained by God and is for our good. Only in cases where man’s law conflicts
with God’s law, does the Bible tell us, “We ought to obey God rather than men,”
Acts 5:29.

Another
article on the same page cited a New Hampshire bishop as having “suggested that
it is less serious for a priest to have sex with someone from outside the
parish than with a parishioner.” Do you suppose the victim or his or her
parents would agree with, or take comfort from this assessment? His point
seemed to be that the former is a private matter that would not fall within the
jurisdiction of the church. This reasoning also does not hold up in the light
of Scripture.

I
Timothy 3:2 says a bishop “must be above suspicion, must be a faithful,
married man, must be sensible, must have self-control,” (Simple English
version). This passage does not imply any restriction on conduct within the
congregation. In fact verse 7 says, “Moreover, he must be well thought
of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the
devil.” The Living Bible vividly paraphrases, “so that Satan can’t trap him
with many accusations, and leave him without freedom to lead his flock.” We are
seeing this warning coming back to haunt many religious leaders who have
violated these principles.

The
longstanding theological concept of celibacy should be reconsidered in the
aftermath of the sordid sexual deeds that are now being brought to light. I
would call attention to the requirement that a bishop “must be a faithful,
married man.” Paul emphasizes the importance of a bishop being the head of a
happy, successful family. Otherwise, he asks, “How shall he take care of the
church of God?” I Timothy 3:5.

Celibacy
has a long history rooted in the dualistic concept that the epitome of
righteousness is to forego physical pleasure in order to attend wholeheartedly
to “spiritual” matters. Celibacy was advocated by some early “church fathers”
who held distorted views of sex and marriage. Augustine considered marriage as
“a covenant with death.” (Confessions, book 6). He regarded celibacy as
a more holy state than marriage. Thomas Aquinas considered that a woman “is
defective and misbegotten” (Aquinas, Summa, Q. 92, art. 1). Clement of
Alexandria emphasized Jesus’ example of celibacy and regarded marriage as a
form of prostitution and a practice introduced by the devil.

Many
misinterpret I Corinthians 7 to claim that Paul advocated celibacy.
However, Paul’s advice to remain single should be understood as a temporary
measure — not to make major life changes because of a time of “present
distress,” verses 25-31. A recently married person devoting the time and
attention to building his marriage could interfere with a maximum effort to
endure this temporary time of “distress.”

When Paul wrote, “I
wish all men were even as I myself” (verse 7), he was referring to the
gift of self-control (verse 9), not being unmarried. Paul did not
advocate celibacy. On the contrary, it was Corinthian members (in a letter to
him) who suggested this as a solution to the immorality of the world around
them (verse 1). Paul countered that a healthy sexual relationship within
marriage was the best antidote to immorality (verses 2-5). Paul boldly proclaimed that forbidding to
marry is “a doctrine of demons,” I Timothy 4:1-3. God created mankind male and female because
he said, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” Genesis 2:18. The
bitter fruits of clergy sexual abuse document this vital truth.— by Larry J. Walker, Pastor, United Church of
God, Bend, Oregon.

This
article was published in the Bend Bulletin newspaper.

Was
Michael the Archangel Jesus?

Some say the meaning of the
name, Michael, is, “one who is like God.”
But Strong’s has, “Who is like God,” as the meaning of the name,
Michael. The name is a rhetorical
question asked in Exodus 15:11,
“Who is like thee, O LORD, among the gods?” Also, in Hebrews 1:5, another question is asked: “. . .unto which of the angels said He at
any time, Thou are my Son, this day have I begotten thee?” Had God said that to Michael, would not Paul
have so informed us? —
by Jimmie Parr

Mel
Gibson’s Slaughter of Christ

Mel’s
Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” has generated considerable
controversy. Perhaps some good will
come from this movie if people realize more deeply the awesome sacrifice of
their Savior, Jesus Christ. The movie
may lead some people to read their Bibles and repent of their sins. That would be good.

However,
those who have seen the movie point out a number of negative aspects of “The
Passion of the Christ.” It distorts
many incidents relating the last hours leading up to the Crucifixion of
Christ. It adds Catholic fables, and
creates a false image of Christ.

If
you are thinking of viewing this movie, consider first: are images
portraying the Messiah a violation of the Second Commandment?The answer is yes. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God . . .”
Exodus 20:4-5. Pagans make
images of their gods, as aides to worship.
They do not believe the image is their god, but it is a representation
of their God. Jesus, the Son of God, is
eternal. He is God. Pictures of Jesus and impersonations of
Jesus, break the spirit of the Second Commandment. Don’t participate in this sin!

When
the Almighty led the Israelites into the Promised Land, He told them, “Then ye
shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy
all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck
down all their high places,” Numbers 33:52. Carnal mankind wants images, pictures, or some other physical
representation of their god. Instead,
we worship an invisible God who tells us not to worship Him through pictures.

The
religion of the Bible is based on the written Word, not passion plays, movies,
or pictures of Jesus and God. The
Gospel narrative of Christ devotes more time to Jesus talking with the thief on
the cross next to Him, more to the Roman soldiers parting His garments, more to
Jesus providing for the care of Mary, than the scourging or suffering He endured. Mel Gibson loves brutality. “The Passion” movie is a Catholic mass in
action. If you have not yet seen this
move, don’t. Instead, read the Book.